Ways to Indulge Your Inner Child

Being an adult regularly equates to a handful of truths; you have to spend your money on things you don't value, you have to perform obligations you don't care about, and you have little time to pursue your passions. Prioritize your time and money restoring balance with your childhood self with these surefire indulgences.

1. Trampoline Town

Can someone say they were disappointed when they last hopped onto a trampoline? Barring any accidental dismounts, the answer is no! When you jump across that springy surface, your heart feels like it could touch the sky. That is something you can harken back to feeling as a child; limitless and able to propel yourself up and into the stars if you bounced high enough.

2. Cartoon Marathon

There's a temptation as an adult to sleep through your weekend alarm. As a kid though, you used to wake with the sun and sneak into the living room to watch the newest cartoons on the boob tube. Though Saturday morning cartoons are officially a thing of the past, our generation has the power of streaming! It's no trouble to call forth your favorite childhood animated characters one Saturday morning and zone out 'til noon while you reflect on the lighter side of life.

3. Breakfast for Dinner

When was the last time you had a decent breakfast during the week that didn't include a tube of fiber wrapped in plastic or a cup of joe? Now, imagine coming home from a long day at work and mixing up a bowl of blueberry pancakes alongside sweet, sticky maple syrup, cheesy scrambled eggs, and smiley face bacon just like mom made. Let the scents and sounds take you back to those sleepy weekend mornings when you woke up in your super hero pajamas without a care in the world.

4. Make Some "Doh"

Remember your amazement when you first poured vinegar into baking soda and watched the foamy mass overflow from a volcano? Mess around where science meets arts and crafts again. You can get your hands dirty by making your own play-doh and sculpting whatever your imagination can dream up. Try making a paper mache sculpture for display in your home and, since you're an adult, feel free to tell all of your friends that a great, local artist made it.

5. Light It Up

Every adult recalls that one Fourth of July when the magic of youth was captured in one spectacular fireworks display. Don't wait for a holiday to celebrate your inner child. Rekindle that spark with your own mini-display! Light off sparklers, shoot off some glitzy explosives into the air, enjoy the buzz and whirl of the fireworks just like you did when you were young. Of course, make sure to have a fire extinguisher nearby and check that you're within local law.

6. Midnight Swing

Combine the exhilaration of being caught sneaking around like a teenager with the simple joys of childhood by going to your nearest playground at night and playing for a good long while. Sure, the park is usually closed after dark, but when as a kid was it not fun to know you might get caught for a little infraction? That risk paired off with the simple pleasure of sliding down a slide, swinging as high as you can on the swing set, or spinning til you're dizzy on the merry-go-round makes for a kid-tastic time.

7. Kid in a Candy Shop

When you need a quick break from being a grown up, go back to the kids' cure for the blues. What makes you feel more like a kid than a sugary treat? Simply walk into a candy shop, seek out your favorite sweet, and let the childhood nostalgia overflow like a thick, chocolate milkshake. With each bite comes not only a sugar rush, but the reminder of how the little indulgences can make even the sternest adult melt.

8. Blanket Fort

All the trappings of adulthood tend to pile up around you. Literally, you have more pillows and throw blankets, towels, and clothing than one normal person should own. What better to do with the material possessions that overwhelm you than to pile them up into a personal clubhouse? Once your blanket windows and pillow doors are secure, feel free to kick back in your adult-sized fort and shut out the world.

9. Play Pretend

Who knows more about being a kid than a kid? If you need to dig deep and cut loose, there's no greater experience than playing make believe with an actual child. Start by volunteering yourself as your friends' and family's go-to babysitter. Once you're hanging out with the kids, ask them what they know about slaying dragons. Or maybe see if they're up for a trip to the moon. With their whimsy and your experience, the depths of your imaginations are limitless.

10. Puppy Tumble

Unless you have a heart made out of ice and stone, everyone loves baby animals. Many a kid knows the giggly glee of rolling around on the floor while being licked by a puppy. As an adult, you're not limited to any one animal. You can know the unbridled exhilaration of being covered in bunnies, kittens, or heck, iguanas. You like birds? Go stand in an aviary for an hour and go to your Zen place that way. Find the point where you're so comfortable with yourself that the baby animals just come to you.

The Inner You

Connecting with your inner child is simple. Take a deep breath and tell your outer adult to shut up and enjoy something for a while. Discover that thing that makes you feel kind of goofy, a modicum of silly, maybe even a little... childish? Just go with it!

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